Everything You’ve Been Told About Gaining Muscle Is Wrong

For years, the conventional wisdom around muscle gain has been all about calories.

“Eat big to get big.”

Calories and protein are absolutely essential.

But the latest research is challenging just how much you actually need to eat to build muscle effectively.

It turns out that packing on lean, dense muscle isn’t about stuffing yourself with calories; it’s about getting smarter with your training, managing hormones, and making sure you’re not under-eating.

Let’s dive into why everything you’ve been told about muscle gain might be wrong.

The Calorie Surplus Myth

New studies[1] are showing that there’s little difference in muscle gain between eating at maintenance calories and eating in a slight surplus of 5-15%.

In fact, as long as you’re getting enough calories to avoid a deficit, the surplus itself isn’t a key driver of muscle growth.

The Real Drivers of Muscle Growth

The real, proven drivers of muscle growth are rooted in training quality and hormonal optimization rather than piling on calories.

1. Progressive Overload

The core of muscle growth lies in how you’re training. Progressive overload—consistently challenging your muscles to adapt by lifting heavier weights over time—is the number one factor. Simply put, muscle growth is a response to the stimulus you provide through your training.

2. Training Quality & Structure

You can’t just hit the gym haphazardly and expect results. Your training needs to be dialed in with a structure that emphasizes frequency, intensity, and volume, all tailored to your goals.

3. Recovery & Rest

Overtraining can stifle muscle growth. You can be eating a massive surplus, but if you’re constantly in a state of overtraining or failing to get enough sleep, your muscles simply won’t grow. Prioritizing sleep, active recovery, and managing stress are crucial parts of the muscle-building equation.

4. Hormones, Especially Free Testosterone

Hormones play a crucial role in muscle growth, with testosterone being one of the most significant. Optimizing free testosterone levels makes a huge difference in your body’s ability to build and repair muscle. Supplements that support testosterone, like Kino Mojo, combined with a lifestyle that reduces stress and promotes recovery, can make a substantial impact on your gains.

Evolutionary Insight: Muscle Growth as an Adaptive Response

Our ancestors didn’t have endless calories and large surpluses.

They adapted to gain muscle efficiently based on the demands of their environment.

Imagine early humans in survival situations—lifting, throwing, fighting, climbing.

These activities put the muscles under tension and strain, prompting the body to adapt and grow stronger.

They needed muscles to support that activity, even in times when food was not abundant.

Evolution favored those who could build muscle on “enough,” not excess.

Our bodies are designed to gain muscle while eating at maintenance, as long as we’re providing the right stimulus through training and getting adequate protein.

The surplus isn’t required to get stronger or more muscular.

It’s about giving your body the signal to adapt through intense, progressive training and letting it do the rest.

Focus on Strength Over Scale Weight

If you want to get stronger and build quality muscle, focus on increasing strength in key lifts within the 5-10 rep range.

When you’re progressively getting stronger in those lifts, your muscles have to adapt and grow.

So rather than chasing the scale, chase the bar.

Getting Stronger in Key Lifts: Prioritize progressive overload on compound exercises.
Track your waist measurements rather than just your body weight. A small increase in scale weight alongside minimal or no waist gain indicates lean muscle.

Protein and Maintenance Calories: All You Really Need

Protein: Aim for about 0.82 grams of protein per pound of goal body weight, and ensure you’re hitting that consistently.

Maintenance Calories: Eating at maintenance provides enough fuel without the extra fat gain that often comes with higher surpluses. A slight buffer (like 200 extra calories) might help provide energy for intense training days, but massive surpluses just lead to fat gain, not muscle gain.

What About “Bulking”?

Traditional bulking often leads to gaining fat and “fluff” rather than lean muscle. You can’t just “eat your way” to a bigger, leaner physique.

Going into a major surplus will more likely make you look puffier, not more muscular. If your goal is dense, lean muscle, focus on quality training and hormone optimization instead of massive calorie increases.

What You Really Need to Focus On

*Nathan went from 272 to 180 doing this the right way (covered in my system).

If eating huge meals and cramming in extra calories isn’t the answer, what should you focus on?

1. Dial In Your Training: Make progressive overload your top priority. Track your lifts, increase weights strategically, and ensure you’re getting stronger over time.

2. Optimize Hormones: High testosterone levels, especially free testosterone, support lean muscle growth and faster recovery. Use supplements that support testosterone (like Kino Mojo) and avoid things that might disrupt your hormonal balance.

3. Recovery is Key: Prioritize sleep, stress management, and active recovery. Overtraining and lack of rest will sabotage even the best training programs.

4. Stay at Maintenance or Just Above: Keep your calories at maintenance, maybe with a small buffer, and focus on protein. This is enough to fuel your training without the excess fat gain.

Muscle growth is about the right stimulus—not simply the quantity of food.

Instead of pushing the limits of your calorie intake, focus on becoming stronger, staying consistent, and getting the right recovery.

To get your hormones in check.

I highly recommend the Mojo Stack.